Circular knitted stocking



CIRCULAR KNITTED STOCKING Filed June 12, 1944 1 n ventor upper.

Patented Mar. 2, 1 948 2,437,195 CIRCULAR KNITTED STOCKING Arthur Leonard Hunt, Nottingham, England, as- .signor to George Edwards & Sons, Limited,

Somercotes, Derbyshire, England Application June 12, 1944, Serial No. 539,907 In Great Britain May 31, 1943 1 Claim. (Cl. 66-'18'l) This invention relates to improvements in cirular knitted stockings. It is customary in the manufacture of socks and stockings to commence the knitting operation at the welt, to proceed by circular knitting to the heel, then form the heel pouch by reciprocatory knitting, recommence circular knitting for the foot portion and finally form the toe pocket by reciprocatory knitting. The end courses of the toe pocket are cast off and are then joined to the end course of the foot One of the disadvantages of toe pockets as at present produced is that they are not entirely comfortable in wear, partly because they are not shaped to fitthe wearers foot and partly because the line of join referred to coincides with the joints of the wearers toe.

An object of this invention is to overcome these disadvantages.

According to this invention the stockings are produced as heretofore excepting that at the commencement of the toe pocket the knitting proceeds by reciprocatory motion on a complement of the total number of needles, (the operative needles being disposed in successive tricks) and the number of operative needles is progressively reduced preferably at each course for a predetermined number of courses, then increased to a less number than the initial number, then reduced to the same number that the original reduction was made and'finally extended to the full complement upon which the reciprocatory motion was commenced.

In order that the nature of this invention may be more readily understood reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a stocking produced in accordance with this invention, and

Figure 2 is an enlarged view of a stocking toe produced in accordance with this invention.

Knitting is commenced at the welt I and the leg 2, heel 3 and foot 4 are produced in any known or approved manner; the heel and foot bottom may be spaced as indicated and the stocking may be plain or have fancy effects as desired, it being understood that the improved toe may be incorporated in any type of sock or stocking knitted on any circular knitting machine.

The knitting of the toe is commenced at a, a. and from a, a to b, b knitting proceeds by circular motion with the full complement of needles in operation. By way of example and to assist in an understanding of the invention it will be assumed that there are 340 needles (each accommodated in tricks and being individually operable) in the needle cylinder. At 1), b the needles b, c are moved to an inoperative position; to render them inoperative they may conveniently be raised. In the present example the number of needles I), c. is "170 so that the number of needles 0, b remaining in operation is also 1'70. It is not however essential although it is desirable that one half of the needles shall be operative and the remainder inoperative but it is preferred that the number of operative needles (all being in successive tricks) shall be approximately one half the total complement. Knitting of selvedged courses now proceeds on needles 0, b (being all the needles that remain active), by oscillation or, as it is frequently termed; reciprocation to de andthereafter narrowing is efiected during oscillation by progressively reducing the number of needles in the active group by progressively rendering needles at both ends thereof inactive but causing them to hold their loops, until say only needles are in operation; preferably one needle at each end of the operative needles is picked up each course to an inoperative position and during this time the part defy is knitted. Next widening is effected during oscillation by progressively increasing the number of needles in the active group by progressively reintroducing loop-holding needles into activity at each end thereof. Specifically, the number of needles is now increased by one needle at each end until say 136 needles are in operation and during this period the part dfgh is knitted; it will be appreciated that when needles are moved to an inoperative position the knittedloop on each of such needles is not cast off. Narrowing again takes place in the same manner as in the first narrowing; that is to say the number of operative needles (one at each end of each course) is now reduced until there are again only 100 needles in operation and during this period the part dhy'lc is knitted. The needles at. are of course the same needles as that on which the part jg was knitted. Next, widening takes place in the same manner as in the first widening until all the needles of the original active group are again active; that is to say, from 774: the number of operative needles is increased one at each end at each course until mat is reached when the full complement of 170 needles on which reciprocating knitting was commenced is in operation and a plurality of selvedged courses is now knitted by oscillation on all the needles of the original active group so that the part md, no is produced; the loops arenow cast off and the part no is joined to be by any convenient means to complete the toe.

The needles cb on which knitting of the toe commences are the needles on which the foot bottom is knitted and hence in the finished stocking the join be no is on the upper part of the wearers foot when the stocking is in use.

In the drawing of course only one side of the stocking is shown but both sides are identical so that the line cb' for example represents. only half the operative needles at the commencement of knitting the toe.

The invention is applicable to any type of circular knitting machine and any known or approved method of forming the loops, laying the thread, imparting recip'rocatory motion and varying the number of needles in operation may be employed. I claim:

A method of knitting by oscillation the toe V pouch of a stocking on a circular knitting ma- .chine wherein the foot is knitted by rotation,

which consists in rendering substantially half of the needles inoperative and causing them to .hold their loops, knitting a. plurality of selvedged courses by oscillation on all. the remaining active needles, narrowing during. oscillation by progressively reducing the number of. needles in the active group by progressively rendering. needles at both ends thereof inactive but causing them to hold their loops, widening during oscillation by progressively increasing the number of needles in the active group by progressively reintroducing loop-holding needles into activity at each end thereof, narrowing again in the same manner as int'he-first narrowing, Widening again in the same manner asin the first widening until all the needles of the original active group are again active, and knitting a plurality of selvedged courses by oscillation on all the needies of the original active group.

ARTHUR LEONARD HUNT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,-2 1 6,374=. Smith. Feb. 20, 1917 1,798,804 Parker. Mar. 31, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date.

399,010 Great Britain .S.ept. 28, 1933 647,540 Germany July 7, 1937 

